Stan Culture Has Gone Too Far. ‘Percy Jackson’ Star Speaks Out About Fans Ruining His Prom Experience
Percy Jackson star Walker Scobell shared devastating news about high school life. The actor, who debuted at age thirteen in The Adam Project, won’t be attending his own prom.
He shared on social media, “Just to let everyone know, I will not be attending prom. Please stop sending death threats to EVERY teenage girl who could remotely be associated with me based on their proximity to where I live. It’s not fair to them or to their families. Maybe also just stop sending death threats in general. That’s just not cool.”
It’s a shocking revelation from the teen star. Although incidents of stalking and harassment are unfortunately common experiences among actors, it’s no less disappointing to hear about. In the year 2026, celebrities are still having their personal space violated by entitled fans.
Social media was disappointed—not in Scobell, but because of the situation he’s faced with. He’s missing a milestone in teen life, and it appears to be due to his fame. One social media user wrote, “Everyone’s so parasocial like why does this child have to tell most likely grown adults to leave people in his proximity alone. Its gross and weird behaviour.”
This is unfortunately not new, and child actors and stars are the most vulnerable to these threats.
Stalking child sensations is a tale as old as time
Britney Spears, who’s been in the spotlight since the age of ten, had been chased by paparazzi at the height of her fame. She famously shaved her hair to push back in 2007 to reclaim control of her life. It’s normal to want a hair change, but she did it because her body was put under scrutiny by the public from a young age.
Justin Bieber, who similarly grew up under fame, was also often targeted by stalkers. Most notably in 2013, Bieber was faced with a stalker who plotted to gruesomely murder the singer. The stalker is obsessed with Bieber and wanted to cut the pop prince into pieces. Needless to say, it’s a disturbing plot that was thankfully prevented.
Regardless of opinions on Spears and Bieber’s talent, none of them deserved to be stalked and excessively hounded by paparazzi.
No red lines for celebrities
There’s nothing wrong with fandoms. They’re usually a source of community and shared connection. In its most primitive form, everyone who’s ever been part of a fandom was once a Tumblr user. But with social media in 2026, fans are having increasing access to their favorite celebrities.
This means regular people and celebrities can have more interaction online. Stars are often encouraged to share their lives online as public figures, and that creates an illusion of closeness with stans. In reality, these stars are still just working a job by fulfilling brand deals or increasing their following for better opportunities.
The extra access to the details they share gives fans an idea that they know the person, even if they don’t. K-Pop stans would be remiss not to admit to this, especially with the excessive content their idols churn out for them to consume. They know their idol’s favorite food, color, birthday, and how many siblings they have. Even so, it doesn’t mean that stans truly know who their idols are.
Fans have to remind themselves of that or risk spiraling into self-induced delusion about a person they don’t actually have a personal relationship with. But what can stars do on their end?
Chappell Roan, as an example, has been famous for setting boundaries not just with fans, but also with rude paparazzi. Stars should be able to reclaim their space, reminding their fans that there are simply lines they shouldn’t cross.
(featured image: Disney+)
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